Struts



Dec, 24, 1957 c. B. SOLOMON 2 STRUTS Filed Feb. 21, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 c. B. SQLOMON 2,817,422

Dec. 24, 1957 STRUTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 21, 1955 bso III 40 fl/II STRUTS Charles B. Solomon, Wellesley, Mass., assignor to George B. H. Macomber Company, Boston, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application February 21, 1955, Serial No. 489,395

1 Claim. (Cl. 189-34) This invention relates to structural units useful in building construction and more specifically to a partition strut which has the dual function of supporting partition or other panels and of providing means for the attachment to the partition of fixtures, shelving, piping, electrical conduits and the like, preferably on both sides thereof. The structural unit thus has particular usefulness in factory and laboratory construction where exposed piping and fixtures are acceptable and Where wall partitions can be of limited thickness since they do not have to conceal such equipment.

To these ends, the strut comprises a channel structure which has channels facing outwardly on all four sides thereof with two of the oppositely facing channels being adapted to receive partition or other panels in substantially flush relation with opposite exposed plane surfaces of the strut and the other two oppositely facing channels being internal to said exposed surfaces and including means for receiving and retaining attaching devices in the form of nuts and/ or bolts for supporting fixtures and the like in selected spaced relation along the strut but external to the panels.

While the strut is particularly adapted for use as a stud, it can have utility also when disposed horizontally.

The features of the invention will be more clearly understood when considered in connection with a description of the strut as shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevational View of a partition structure illustrating a multiple use of structural units in accordance with this invention as the studs;

Fig. 2 is a detailed perspective view of a structural unit of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view, with parts broken away,

to illustrate the assembly of one of the struts interposed 3 as a stud in the partition shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the assembly; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 with fastening screws added.

Fig. 1 shows a partition composed of a series of panels 12 separated by a series of struts acting as studs 14 and forming collectively a partition such as may be incorporated in building construction and extending from the floor to the ceiling and from wall to wall.

As shown in Fig. 2, each of the struts is a unitary assembly which can be conveniently formed of four channel members. Two of the channel members 16 and 18 have openings facing in opposite directions and are separated and held in back-to-back relation by two further channel members 20 and 22, also disposed in back-tobaclc relation at a 90 angle to the first pair of channels, so that the base webs 24 and 26 of channels 20 and 22 respectively, form a medial composite connecting webbing 28 spacing the two channel members 16 and 18.

The extremities of the channel members 20 and 22 have flanges 29 turned inwardly and involuted toward the connecting web 28 in a manner similar to that shown in 2,817,422 Patented Dec. 24, 1957 2 Patent No. 2,329,815, but without having bevelled'edges, thus forming longitudinally extending spaced fribs.

When the strut is made up inthis manner offourichannel members, they may be spot-welded together at suitable convenient points along their lengths to form *the unitary structure. 7 i

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the channels 16 and 18 are adapted to receive the marginal portions of the panels 12 so that both surfaces of the panels 12 will be substantially flush with the exterior surfaces of the intervening structural unit leaving the longitudinal slots formed by the channels 20 and 22 for attachment of fixtures and the like.

In order that the structural members need not be cut individually to accommodate irregularities in ceiling to floor distances, I make them somewhat shorter than the ceiling to floor distance and provide finishing moldings at the floor and at the ceiling to conceal the gaps. Thus I place along the floor channels 40 as shown in Fig. 3, which may be screwed to the floor as at 42, and the strut of this invention lies therebetween but is retained in spaced relation from the floor by the interposition of a set screw 44 passing through a plate 46 welded across the bottom end of the strut. This expedient is permissible since the inserted panels 12, which rest in channels 40, support most of the weight of the intervening stud.

A similar expedient is utilized at the ceiling as shown in Fig. 5 wherein there is a further channel element 50 attached to the ceiling by suitable screws 52 as shown and the upper extremity of the strut [has a welded plate 54 tapped to receive a set screw 56. The set screw-s 44 and 56 may thus be adjusted to accommodate irregularities in the spacing between the channels 40 and 50.

In certain instances one or both of the channels 40 and 50 may be made in multiple pieces (i. e., one angle piece and one flat piece) so that the panels may be inserted and the second flat piece of the channel thereafter placed in position as a finishing strip screwed to the side of the panels or bolted to the struts, in a manner similar to baseboards 60 and 62.

I have also shown as optional elements baseboard-like members 60 and 62, one on either side of the partition, which may extend across the studs and be attached to the studs by countersunk bolts 66 which engage slotted nuts 68 hearing against the spaced surfaces of the involuted flanges 29. This nut and bolt arrangement may also be utilized to atfix brackets for supporting exterior piping and the like.

I have thus provided a universally useful structural unit adapted for partition use in building construction.

I claim:

A structural unit of the class described comprising elements presenting a pair of oppositely facing rectilinear channels for receiving margins of a pair of flat aligned panels in substantially flush relation with the exposed surfaces of said unit when said unit is interposed between said aligned panels, said channels being separated by two channels disposed back to back with their openings disposed normal to the openings of said panel receiving channels, and flanges extending inwardly from the extremities of the flanges of at least one of the back to back disposed channels, said inwardly extending flanges being in the plane of opposed panel receiving channel flanges and being involuted towards the web of the channel from which they extend to form longitudinally extending surfaces for engaging nuts disposed in the internal channel of said one side for supporting fixtures at selective positions along said structural unit on said one side thereof.

(References on following page) UNITED STATES PATENTS Mayo July 17, 1923 Binder Mar. 29, 1932 5 Holdsworth Jan. 18, 1938 Kotrbaty Aug. 15, 1939 Attwood Apr. 4, 1944 Waller Nov. 21, 1944 Benham Apr. 9, 1946 4 FOREIGN PATENTS Australia Mar. 7, 1946 OTHER REFERENCES Sweets Catalog, 1954, Sec. Zg/Un, page 6, Design Div. Unistrut. 

